


We Got You

by adritae



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Is Sunshine, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gabriel Agreste's A+ Parenting, Gen, Hot Mess Adrien Agreste, Hurt Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, In this house we love nino, Mentioned Gabriel Agreste, Nino Lahiffe Is a Good Bro, Panic Attacks, adrien is a mess in this and so am i tbh, alya and marinette are not really in there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:21:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24515317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adritae/pseuds/adritae
Summary: In which a good day turns sour, and Nino decides to adopt Adrien.Written for the Bad Things Happen Bingo Prompt: Vertigo
Relationships: Adrien Agreste & Alya Césaire, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1771621
Comments: 3
Kudos: 213
Collections: Bad Things Happen Bingo





	We Got You

**Author's Note:**

> Oof I have returned. I thought quarantine would make me able to write more but I'm still procrastinating...
> 
> Anyways, this is based off of my own experiences with panic attacks, and thus contains descriptions of a panic attack. Please do not read if this is something you might find triggering.

Nino was the first to notice. Maybe it was because he had been oddly protective over the blond as of late, as he came in to class with dark bags under his eyes, or maybe it was because Alya and Marinette were too caught up in their debate over whether or not Ladybug liked Chat Noir back to notice the trembling of Adrien's body.

"Bro, are you okay?" Nino reached a tentative hand towards his best friend, but stopped as he heard a crash from a couple tables over and watched Adrien flinch violently. By now, Alya and Marinette's eyes were drawn to the waiter who was waving off the apologies of a young woman as he cleaned up the glass shards amongst the wine on the patio.

However, Nino's eyes stayed on his best friend, whose shaking grew even greater. "Adrien?" he tried, wincing a little himself as he saw green eyes glistening with tears as they glanced slightly up. He gathered himself, trying to keep his voice steady and low, "Do you want to get out of here?" A nod, barely perceptible to anyone who wasn't observing his every movement like a hawk.

"Is it okay if I touched you?" Adrien hesitated at the inquiry as they both stood, shaking as he subtly nodded and moved closer to Nino.

Taking the invitation, Nino gently grabbed Adrien's hand, leading him through the restaurant back out to the front, ignoring the questioning eyes of both Alya and Marinette as he focused on getting somewhere quiet.

* * *

It was supposed to be an enjoyable day, for once getting time off in his schedule. But of course luck hated him, and of course he had to just go and ruin it all. Adrien was supposed to be hanging out with Nino, Alya, and Marinette, laughing and relaxing. Instead, he found himself staring down at the threads of the table cloth, knee bouncing as he felt his throat constrict and the burn begin in his eyes.

His fingers tapping against the table, he inhaled deeply and shakily, trying to drown out the noise around him. Adrien thought for sure his enhanced hearing was only when he was transformed, but that did not explain how everything felt louder. He could hear practically every clink of the silverware against the dishes, every high-pitched laugh that sounded through the patio, and every single word and intonation his friends spoke seemed to be dialed up in his ears.

Now his heart pounded in his chest as he felt Nino gently lead him out of the restaurant and to the nearby park. His blurred vision barely picked up anything except for sidewalk slabs gliding by and being replaced by grass. The quiet that came as they got farther from the restaurant was a blessing on his ears, only being disturbed by the slight chirping of birds overhead and the distant laughter of a child.

"Do you want to sit?" Adrien heard Nino ask, and he nodded. The hand holding his had slowly grown suffocating, and the blond could feel his hand sweating. He let Nino guide him over to one of the flowerbeds to sit on the edge before he felt Nino's hand pull away.

"Stay…please," Adrien croaked, terrified with the thought that Nino was walking away. His hand felt chilled where Nino's had left, but he pulled in back into himself, clutching his chest at the pains that were stabbing there.

"I'm not going to leave you, dude. I'll sit right here for you," Nino gently sat on the ground, careful not to make his movements too fast, "Is there any way I could help you?"

Adrien did not answer. The stabbing pains in his chest had not ceased, and he felt his own lungs begin to struggling. Every breath he took turned shaky, and the tears were now streaming freely down his face. His breath came in short gasps, each one barely sufficient to take in enough air. The blond felt his forehead heating up, sweat dripping down. The sobs came fast, and the nausea with them. The entire world had shifted, spinning around him as he struggled to stay upright.

This was dying wasn't it? He thought he was too young for a heart attack, but the chest pains told him differently. At the thought, Adrien felt his breathing quicken, the dizziness causing him to sway as his heart continued to pound.

"…dude? Can you hear me?" Each of Nino's words seemed muffled, but Adrien drew up his strength to nod.

"Can you breathe with me? Just listen to my breathing, okay?" The nausea and dizziness threatened to consume him.

Adrien choked on his words, feeling his chest heaving as he pushed them out, "I…I can't… Please… I can't…"

Nino's voice cut through the ringing in his ears, "You can do it, man. I'm right here with you. Listen to my breathing, okay?" He heard an deep inhale, and struggled to match it with his own. His breath came out in shorter spurts, interjected with heaves from his chest. The exhale was much the same. Again, he heard the inhale, and he struggled to match it, but Nino spoke again.

"Good, dude! Keep breathing with me, okay?" And so he did.

It seemed like hours as Adrien tried to match the breathing he heard until eventually he felt the heaves lessen and the dizziness ebb away. Nino remained patient, keeping his overexaggerated breathing at a steady rhythm until Adrien followed.

Though the pressure in his head still lingered, and a vague light-headedness remained, he felt the pangs in his chest dissipate with each exhale. The shaking lessened, until he sat there with his hands loosely dropped into his lap and a dizziness from the abundance of tears he shed.

He could see the DJ sitting patiently in front of him, a reassuring smile on his face. Adrien's entire face heated up in embarrassment. His best friend had to sit there as he bawled like a baby? God, Nino probably thought he was weak and strange now.

"I'm sorry," Adrien croaked out, wincing as his throat ached. Nino looked at him questioningly.

"For what?"

Another shaky exhale, "For ruining our lunch," Adrien swallowed, averting his gaze from the other boy, "It was supposed to be fun, but instead I had to go and be a wimp and-"

Nino cut him off, "There is nothing to apologize for, my dude! You had a panic attack, it's totally natural. You didn't ruin anything!"

Adrien still looked down. Nino cleared his throat awkwardly. "Have you ever had one before?"

"Yeah, I used to have them when I was younger, but my mom… she was always there to help me. I've never had one that bad before, though," the blond kept his gaze at the ground as he remembered the years before his mother had vanished, wherein a single photoshoot gone horrible had caused nightmares and panic attacks for months upon months, and which still haunted him today.

"Do you like… talk to someone about this stuff? Like, do you know what triggered it?" Nino was looking at him still, and Adrien thought. He shook his head. It seemed to come out of nowhere. He was having a lot of fun before the sudden panic. His face flushed up further at the thought, but he tried to ignore it.

Nino looked at him worriedly, "So, you don't talk to someone about this? And you said you've had one before, right?" At Adrien's nod, his thoughts grew even more concerned, "What about your dad? Does he know about this?"

If he was being perfectly honest, Nino knew the answer even before he asked the question. Nevertheless, the weak snort that escaped Adrien surprised him.

"No way would I tell him. He would just tell me I'm overreacting and just seeking attention. We Agrestes aren't supposed to have feelings." The last part was said almost bitterly, and Nino saw Adrien's hand still shaking.

"Yeah, well your dad's a prick," He started, smiling in victory as he saw the corner of his best friend's mouth twitch into a smirk, "And so from now on, I will be acting as the role of your dad." Nino put his fists on his hips and puffed out his chest, pleased at the laugh it drew from the other boy.

"Good luck with that, dude." Adrien giggled. Nino relaxed his position, but still sent a smile at the blond.

"But for real, dude. You can talk to us about this kinda stuff, yeah? We'll always be here for you, man. Whether you need a hug or an ear." At the watery smile, Nino gently drew an arm around Adrien's shoulder, hesitating to see if Adrien was okay with the contact. When no negative response was given, he leaned into his best friend.

"We got you, dude."

**Author's Note:**

> In other words: Adrien Agreste is smol cat son who needs many hugs.


End file.
